Skye Journal

[Hydro]

I'm involved with a fun project: a role-playing PBEM game. Part of the fun is a running monologue by me and the other six role players. It's almost easy to take the events and situations of (almost) every turn and weave a story around them, and I've found that the story seems to write itself. Although the full text is available under Multiplaying at the thread RPI Narrative, I've decided to post my entries here in a serial manner. I hope you enjoy it.

Hydro


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SKYE JOURNAL

MY2101
Journal of Lady Deirdre Skye

We are all pretty traumatized with disintegration of Unity and the frightening and unplanned start we have had here on Chiron. It was not supposed to be like this. Humanity's last hope has degenerated into chaos, and we are all struggling to pick up the pieces. We have heard nothing from the other seven survival pods, and all of us hope they made landfall safely. Unfortunately, in the absence of information rumors abound. Some talk of sabotage and terrorism in those frantic final hours, of Security Chief Yang being assassinated, and of Santiago as being the prime saboteur. I earnestly hope that Sheng-Ji Yang is among the living, and that the rumors of Santiago are false. We do know one thing, however: Captain Garland is surely dead. Engineering Technicians Hobkins was monitoring the comm just before we separated. According to him Captain Garland manually overrode the jammed pod releases as Unity was breaking up, and in doing so he saved us all. He must have stayed with his command like an ancient mariner, guiding Unity to its sad end. We will honor his memory.

Our pod crash-landed near a wide sea on the northeastern slope of a landmass, the size and shape of which no one knows. Our survey team reported back quickly as our hab units went up and breathers were dispersed to those in our Unity pod, and the reports were excellent. We are blessed with rainy and fertile land, with a reasonable amount of easily accessible raw materials near ground surface. A fragment of Unity apparently lies to our southeast, and all of us hope it is a supply pod. We have so little that anything would be a welcomed.

We proceed with care, of course, since this is an alien planet and we have so little information on its flora and fauna. Already we have seen indications of a strange and robust fungal-like growth in the sea and possibly on land. We have been too busy ensuring our own survival to explore much, but we hope to. The scientist in me wants to see and know, to explore this world and listen to what it has to say to us. In a way this is the grandest adventure of all time, but I just wish it had started under better circumstances.

[Hydro]

MY2102
Journal of Lady Deirdre Skye

Well, it's official. Our new home has been transformed from The Landing Pod to Gaia's Landing. Some of our more logical scientific types, notably Marilyn, poopooed naming our first settlement after the pseudo scientist Lovelock's 'Gaian Hypothesis'. Still, the name struck a chord with most of us, including me. The Gaian Hypothesis suggests that an ecosystem is, in fact, a giant organism. At face value this is partially true since all organisms are interrelated, and the ecosystem itself can adapt to changing conditions, something like an organism. Lovelock went a bit far in suggesting that it was a self-willed organism, however. Biologically directed, or pre-disposed, may be a better term, since 'willed' implies a consciousness. Still, I called for a vote, and the name Gaia's Landing won with a solid 82 percent. New Scotland came in a distant second, and New Austin came in a very distant third with exactly two votes. You have to give the Bushes credit for their persistence, and they did concede gracefully in the end.

Our expeditionary team has been making its way south for these last months with only one goal in mind: retrieve needed materials from the Unity fragment we saw in our initial landing. They contacted us every day, and most of us were thrilled with the discoveries they have made along the way. They have determined that the greenery that covers the steep mountain slope is compatible with our metabolism, and our agricultural specialists have been pestering me to get our first farms started. After a few local surveys the expeditionary team confirmed the abundant mineral deposits extend across a wide area, although some plots seem distressingly barren of minerals or ores, almost like the great plains of North America or the Ukraine. Still, our team pressed on and those of us back Gaia's Landing waited for their frequent calls and occasional excited announcement of another discovery, if for nothing else than to break the monotony of setting up our prefab homes. They got nearer and nearer, and the reports became more frequent as the ETA dropped from weeks to days, and finally to hours. Finally they reached the Unity fragment and our hopes were dashed. What we thought was a Unity pod was nothing more than a highly magnetized mineral anomaly. Shannon broke the news to us and it was clear that she was almost heartbroken, but tried to put as good a face on the situation as was possible. The only member of the exploratory team that was excited was the irrepressible Doctor Booth, and he kept jabbering about the rarity of a surfacial ore deposit with over 70% titanium, iron, and zinc oxides. Of course he is a geologist and can be forgiven his bubbly enthusiasm. Shannon mentioned he almost had to be dragged away from his prospecting and sample collection, the weight of which almost gave him a hernia. Still, he brightened our day a little by telling us that with proper development this could be a long-term boon. He explained that it wouldn't even take a mining complex to harvest some of the lode. I am loath to start up a mining complex. The horrors of the strip mines of South America and China are all too acute in my memory. As the Jews said after the Holocaust: never again.

We got continuing good news from our second expeditionary team, who are taking with them the bulk of our extra provisions, staff, and material in the hopes of setting up our second outpost. They have held a steady course southwest along what we have named the Northern Chiron Sea. The name isn't very poetic, but it is hopefully accurate! Wouldn't it be a great joke if the 'sea' turned out to be a small landlocked water body? In any case, they have found that the greenery continues for as far as the eye can see, and Wayne has called back to tell us of many promising outpost locations. There is even a river nearby, and Wayne has elected to follow it. Lush, green surroundings and a river are where most of Earth's ancient civilizations started, and maybe it will be the same for us here on Chiron.

One more note. The colonists have started to call our new home 'Planet', and somehow it seems right. I am a little pleased since this means we have started thinking of this alien planet as home. Gwen told me in Council yesterday that she thinks that Planet almost made for humans, except for the gravity, alien ecology, atmosphere and the number of hours in the day. Then she smiled, and we all had a good laugh, lightening our mood after the disappointment from the mineral deposit. So what if we feel tired all the time, can't go outside without a breather, and have a hard time getting a good night's rest because our bodies scream for 24 hours and Planet only gives us 18!!

All in all I have nothing to complain about. Still haven't heard anything of the comm from any other pods, but I still hope.

[Hydro]

MY2103
Journal of Lady Deirdre Skye

Going to have to keep this entry short since I have to get back to the party. Our new terraformer is done! Everyone is so excited, and poor Davin and his team are completely exhausted from their efforts. This is his brainchild, and he isn't likely to get any more rest for a while since all his well wishers keep pestering him all the time. The trial run reports on the former are pretty impressive, and it should be able to efficiently create arable farmland, install clean solar systems, lay roads, or even plant forests. It might even be able to create land! I challenged him on this one, reminding him of that little problem of the conservation of matter. He just smiled and said it was a secret, and that he'd never tell. I'll make sure to give him a big kiss and a big hug during the dedication ceremony later tonight. I may even dip him! Maybe then he'll spill his guts!

In other news, Shannon and her exploratory team have left the mineral lode and Doctor Booth only grudgingly agreed to continue south. After they left Shannon said that she pointed out to him that even more exiting prospects might be just over the next hill, and that this is an unexplored planet, after all. She reported that Colin straightened up and got a strange look in his eye as she painted a picture for him. Almost before she could blink he was getting ready to head out again, almost like he had forgotten his once-in-a-lifetime find. All I have to say is that we need a lot more Colins here on Planet!

Wayne is doing well, too. He got his party to the river, and will be able to use its clear banks to expedite his travel. He has found an excellent spot for the new outpost in the middle of a wet, marshy area near the river's headwaters. The river and the location's high elevation should mean it has plenty of energy, too, much more than Gaia's Landing. If his ETA is accurate he should be able to set up the settlement next year. I saw the vid squirts he sent me and his proposed site looks very inviting. It even has a Unity fragment within spitting distance. I'm not sure what to do with that, but my gut instinct says to save it for later. We've already seen two Unity pods, and there must be more.

Well, just got buzzed. The Davin Terraformer dedication starts in a half hour and I have to break out some lipstick. A nice vibrant red will be best, I think. That way everyone will be able to see how happy I am with Davin! I'll pry that secret out of him yet!

[Hydro]

MY 13.36.2104
Datasquirt, exploratory team Alpha
Weekly report from Shannon Lindly

Dee -

Following your advice we followed the river up to its headwaters, and it increased our travel and exploration rate immensely. The area surrounding the river, which flows down to our new settlement at Virgin Soil and presumably to the Northern Chiron Sea, is wet and lush and, as we have reported consistently in the past, is extraordinarily fertile and potentially supportive of human habitation. I was mildly surprised when our forward recon team sent me a field report stating that to the south and east of the river valley on the lee side of the mountain range that rainfall drops precipitously (if you will excuse the pun). If I would have remembered my basic hydrology and atmospheric science I probably could have predicted this, and I hope my reports of a wet agricultural paradise haven't gotten everyone's hopes up too high. Still, our settlements seem to be in good territory, and we may still find favorable sites to the southwest and northeast along the sea. In the meantime my teams will be pushing east into the heart of the continent. As we reached the top of the range it was clear this continent is huge. Although no details are available, the land surface extends for as far as the eye can see. Of course this does us no good until we can survey and map the areas and complete the basic ecological, hydrologic, and resource assessments. But that is what our team are for, isn't it?

Give my best to Wayne at Virgin Soil. I received his squirt last week and was pleased that his settlement is coming along so well. VS will provide us with new staging areas to explore Planet, and the name seems so appropriate. I see that Davin has new converts to his cause and that VS started production of a former right away by using surplus equipment and by converting the travel chasses the settlement used to get to the VS site. Kind of like recycling, right?

Colin was so tickled when he heard that Davin is sending his prototype former group from Landing to his mineral outcrop, which he calls The Colin Lode. It will take a couple of years to get there and then more time to complete the forest he has planned, but I think it will be worth it. A combination of properly managed woodlands and metals will be very helpful. From what I understand, about the time the forest has reasonably matured we will have the extra crews from Landing trained and ready to harvest what Planet provides for us there. I asked Colin if he'd like to supervise the work back at the his lode, but he said no. He says his heart is now set on finding the Colin Motherload, whatever that is, and he has taken to wearing a goofy old prospector's hat. He keeps us all entertained and in good spirits. BTW, we really appreciated the supplies the glider dropped at our forward cache last week. The new breathers were a godsend since our old supply was running out and they were close to being beyond repair. The barley cakes were like a banquet, too. Rog and his foragers are good, but there are times that I just can't stand another meal of fungigruel and purified water.

All in all none of us would give up the adventure for anything since everything is exciting and new. We have a whole planet to cover, after all! The years come and go so fast, and it is really hard to believe we've been here over four years now!

Call soon. We really like to keep in touch, when our comm is working correctly.

Your friend,
Shannon

**Survey and resource summary downloaded to Datalinks, 19 terraquads of data uploaded on 13.36.2104**

Priority One Directive to Resource Coordinator M. Gauthier: effective immediately, double the Earth-stable food and concentrates for scout team caches, and make SURE they have the breathers they need. If anyone on the Council questions the revised allocation then send them to me and I will deal with them personally.
D. Skye

[Hydro]

Gaia's Landing
MY 2105

Small hands gently and purposefully patted down the raw earth. Then, satisfied, the little boy rose and looked down to ensure he was done. Larger hands came down and drew him away from the long plot of raw earth, and she held him protectively even as a few tears escaped her eyes and fell to her breather.

Lady Skye walked forward, slightly disheveled with her raven hair blowing in the stiff, cool breeze of the commons at Gaia's Landing.

"Nasri was our friend, and in a way the best of us all. He was tireless and quick to laugh, and he was always there for me, for all of us. When he first starting calling us Gaians I laughed, and he laughed with me. I took it as his way to lighten the mood after a particularly hard day. When he talked about oneness, and the cycles of nature I took it as a biologist's ramblings, or perhaps the results of too much work. But over the years I saw more and more clearly that Nasri had a certain wisdom, and a way to help others, including me, to understand his subtle vision. He drew together what humanity had done to our old home, and how we can avoid the same mistakes here. His clarity of thought and gentle nudges helped me understand that in a way we are Gaians. Only now when he is gone do I really appreciate it."

Deirdre looked up and motioned to Marilyn and Frank, who walked forward. They solemnly carried their charge, and placed it in a prepared hole at the head of Nasri's grave.

"We plant this white pine in Nasri's memory. The white pine represents our promise to Nasri, our people, and to our new home, Planet itself, and it symbolizes our vow never to repeat the tragedy of Earth."

Deirdre kneeled down and filled her palm with some of the soil from Nasri's grave. She rose and walked over to the sapling and kneeled again, placing her fistful of soil gently around its roots. As she stood the woman and young boy followed, each taking a small handful of earth and placing it at the roots of the tree.

One by one the rest followed, Gaians first and last.

[Hydro]

Virgin Soil
MY 2107

A tall, thin man with salt and pepper hair walked up to the makeshift podium. His smile was small, his gestures muted, and his voice soft, but everything he did inspired confidence and proved that an administrator didn't have to be forceful or domineering to do his or her job. In some cases honesty and integrity, as well as supreme competence and empathy toward others, could be more than enough.

At the podium, which was little more that two up-ended travel crates, Wayne stood and surveyed the crowd. The few side conversations died down and all eyes turned expectantly to their leader.

"We all know why we are here today, since we have been working for this for three whole years. Our Davin Terraformer is finally complete and its crew trained and it is ready to roll!"

Spontaneous cheers rippled through the crowd, which included most of the population of Virgin Soil. The Former crew, who felt themselves particularly lucky, were the loudest in the yells of approval.

Wayne held up his hands to get everyone calmed down a little. Still, his small smile increased at their enthusiasm.

"There's no need to tell you what this means to us. We'll plant a forest right next to Soil in the river valley. When complete the forest will be a wonderful place to visit, and with loving management will be bring us terrific resources, too."

More cheers.

"But one more note. I want to personally thank Dee and the Council for granting us the resources to finish the Former a year ahead of schedule. Our collective resources are few, but they decided they would put their trust in us. So, let's not disappoint them!

With that, let's get to work. Steph, start your engines!"

Chief Engineer Stephanie Baldwin saluted with a flourish as her crew paraded to their brand new former, a collection of over 30 vehicles on tracks that were a mobile earth moving and fabrication facility, a veritable factory on wheels. In moments the motley assembly of vehicles wheeled around, kicking up dust as their treads tore at the earth and made their way down the broad, level flood plain of the river valley.

Everyone cheered and yelled, waving their arms as the crew left.

Finally even Wayne felt the unaccustomed urge to let rip with a mighty hoot of approval, and his voice joined the thousands that filled their valley.

[Hydro]

Gaia's Landing
MY 2108

beep-beep

beep-beep

beep-bee…

"I'm up, I'm up," Dee whispered dragged herself out of her cot, being careful not to disturb those around her. She could tell it was almost 1700, an hour to midnight, and billowing clear geofabric that passed for a window revealed it was totally dark. She quickly activated her salvaged crys-screen, which still had its UN logo emblazoned upper right corner. It grudgingly came to life. Deirdre was puzzled when all it produced was static and flickering light.

Then an image resolved itself. A woman was looking away from the screen. She was evidently talking to someone outside of the projection area, but Dee couldn't make out what was being said. With a click the image synced, and the woman turned around.

"Dee? Are you there?"

Dee smiled.

"Of course, Shannon. I wasn't expecting your call. How can you transmit over the mountain range?"

"We're bouncing off a thermal. Can't explain now. I have to show you something and I haven't got much time. Dumping now."

A sketchy image formed. It was daylight, and it was earlier today from the time stamp. It showed the endless dry, brown landscape Shannon had reported finding on the lee side of the mountain range. In the distance there was blue, which had to be an expanse of water. Might it be another ocean?

Shannon's voice was superimposed over the image. "We found another water body and we have no idea how big it is. That isn't what is exciting, though. Look in the bottom right corner. We'll zoom for you."

The image shot forward. Near the edge of the water body there was a grayish pink and rough looking expanse that extended to the southern horizon. At first glance it looked like the reddish light of a setting sun glancing off a crenellating rock formation. As the zoom got closer Dee squinted, and then sucked in her breath.

It was beautiful!

Shannon's voice interjected, "Its an integrated life form, which our team has nicknamed xenofungus. It's huge and complex, and it must be analogous to Earth's coral reefs - it even looks a little like a reef. I've never seen anything like it in the last seven years of exploring! We've seen a tenth of a square kilometer here and there, but nothing like this. Even the tiny fragments of data from our initial survey of the xenofungus have overwhelmed us. Colin is even looking up from his rocks!"

The image started to disintegrate.

"Dee, the thermal is dissipating. Gotta go! We're squirting our data now! Tomorrow we're fungus jumping!"

Shannon disappeared, but the data link was still there. Dee tapped the screen a few times and, sure enough, the squirt was making it through.

The grainy image Dee had seen of the expanse of pinkish xenofungus with its gray, purple, and blue hues was mesmerizing, and tantalizing. Not for the first time Dee envied Shannon. She was the real explorer, while Dee noted that she had the dubious honor of having seemingly endless meetings and the thankless job of what was effectively a politician.

After a moment the light on the crys-screen winked out and the transmission was complete. Dee stood half way up and crawled back into her cot. It was only 5 hours until morning and her body still rebelled against the 18 hour Chiron day, telling her she should be asleep, or awake when she had to be sleeping.

It didn't matter, though. Physical and mental exhaustion have its advantages and in moments she was asleep.

[Hydro]

MY2109
Journal of Lady Deirdre Skye

So far it's been a pretty good year. We unlocked some of the genetic keys of the xenofungus, and with this biogenetic information we can improve our quality of life here on Planet. I already have a set of blueprints for a city improvement that will allow almost complete recycling, turning what was waste into food, material, and energy. We could have one built in 8 years, but we need a little defense first. We also need to think about another outpost, but we don't have the resources or population for this yet.

Our first forest is finished, too. It and the mineral lode are producing a huge influx of resources, just like Colin predicted. We're having the former crew construct a solar cell in a rainy area for future use. The forest at Virgin Soil is only a few years from maturity, which is about the time when they will need it.

I sent our second scout patrol out today. They're to explore to the northeast, while Shannon continues to the south and then southwest. She has had no luck the fungus so far, but is gaining a lot of information. The fungus isn't nearly as large as we thought, either. Shannon is always optimistic and is sure we'll find more fungus soon.

[Hydro]

Virgin Soil
2112

A light mist fell as Wayne watched the airlock control panel’s indicator light turn green. The door in front of Wayne shuddered as its powerful servos activated, and there was a brief, low grinding noise as the four-meter tall door labored to open. After less than a minute the movement stopped and Wayne and his senior administrator David entered the airlock of the main equipment bay.

Inside they faced a door that was identical to the first. Behind them the servo reactivated and the entrance closed with a dull clang. Air exchangers immediately started and in 10 seconds the atmospheric indicator on the left wall of the entry airlock went from red to green.

David and Wayne took off their breathers and rain slicks as the interior door started to open. David rubbed some of the chaffed skin on his left temple and soothed his hair while Wayne was meticulously sanitizing his breather, giving it a brief inspection, and then placing and sealing it in its velcro-topped belt holder. David irritably shoved his in its pouch.

“Damn things,” David muttered.

Wayne ignored the comment, as usual.

The interior door finished cycling and was fully open, and the unusually bright light of the bay flooded into the airlock. Wayne and David shielded their eyes against the glare as they walked into the bay. A phalanx of stocky men and women with shredders stood at attention in the center of the room. They were in front of a large object that was covered with a blue utility tarp, which obscured both the size and form of whatever was underneath it.

“What’s with the guards?” David asked.

“You’ll see. Patience my friend,” Wayne replied. His voice was quiet and measured, but this only served to pique John’s interest even more.

One of the guards walked forward. His shredder was drawn and pointed at both John and Wayne, and his new military issue boots echoed in the cavernous room as he approached. He intercepted them before they had gotten more than a third of the way toward the object.

“IDs please,” he asked.

“What kind of sh*t is this?” David asked, looking at Wayne. “You’re the governor!” David turned his gaze toward the unflinching guard. “And I’m the on the Council of Virgin Soil! Everyone here knows me, and Wayne!”

Wayne let him say his piece. Then he turned back toward the guard, who hadn’t budged a centimeter or and he didn’t look at all concerned at the bluster of a Councilman. Reaching into his breast pocked Wayne pulled out his holo card-chip.

“Here is my ID,” Wayne said as he gave him the card. “Thank you for following my protocol, Kishor.” Kishor nodded once to acknowledge him, took his card, and ran it through his improvised scanner.

“Your protocol?? This was your idea? You haven’t gone military on me, have you?” David said.

“Just give him your card, David, and we can move on.”

David got a steely look in his eyes, but there was something in Wayne’s voice. David decided now would not be the time to dig in his heals so he pulled out his ID card and gave it to Kishor, who took it and ran it through the scanner.

“Thank you, gentlemen. Your identities have been verified and authorization accepted. You may proceed,” Kishor said. Then he stepped out of he way.

“Follow me, David. We have to make a report to Dee in less than an hour.” Wayne walked forward with David right behind him. In moments they were in front of the object.

“Marin and Hersh, please lift the tarp,” Wayne ordered. Moments later the tarp puckered at the side and it was pulled off and away from David and Wayne.

David let out an involuntary gasp. “What the h*ll is that?”

Wayne smiled just a little. “No. The correct question is ‘What the h*ll are they?’.”

David reached out and the tips of his fingers touched the shoulder-high object nearest to him. It was warm to the touch, and had a faint pulsing vibration. Even stranger than that, his fingers never seemed to actually touch the object, sliding away when he applied pressure. No matter how hard he pushed his fingers never got within a fraction of a centimeter of its surface. The color was a vague greenish gray, and its shape was strangely curved and bulbous – no parts seemed to have an angle or flat surface. David observed that in some ways it resembled some of the modern sculpture from the late 20th and early 21st Century. These things, he decided, would never be mistaken for sculpture, though, at least not for long. Its curves and form simply looked, well, wrong.

“So what are they?” David whispered. His gaze was still locked on the slightly hypnotic surface, and his fingers were gliding over the surface in a general pattern of a figure eight.

“We know they aren’t from Unity, or any human probes,” Wayne said. “They are clearly not organic, although some aspects of them look organic. No one has any idea what these objects might be but one thing is clear; they must be alien in origin. David, you are looking at two objects that were made by an alien civilization – two alien artifacts. This is the first proof we have that there is, or at least was, intelligent life outside of Earth. Of course we’ve let Dee know, but given her no details. We’ll be sending them off to Landing in the morning.”

Wayne let that sink in for a moment.

“Wow,” David responded, being at a loss for words for once. “And to think we have two of them!”

“Yes,” Wayne continued. “The bigger question is where is the race that left them. What do they look like? How long have they been gone? Why did they leave? Could we communicate with them? Why did they leave these behind? Are there more of them? Do they do anything? If so, what do they do?”

Wayne walked forward to and extended his had to the second object. He touched it lightly, even reverently. “So many questions, and no answers,” he stated to himself. Soon his fingertips swirled over the throbbing surface of the alien artifact.

[Hydro]

Near Virgin Soil
MY 2115

clink…clink, clink…clink-cRack…clink………clink

Shannon looked at the top of her pressure tent, willing the sound to go away.

clink…………….clink

She winced at the last 'clink'. In many ways the anticipation was much worse than the sound itself. In one arcing throw Shannon threw off her thermal blanket, and a split second later it impacted on the fabric wall of the tent. It rebounded slightly and bounced back to where Shannon had been laying. She was, however, no longer there. By the time the blanket settled she was already at the airlock, which was open in a few moments.

It was cold and dark, but Shannon could see remarkably well. Both moons were out, and the clear sky was illuminated with stars. Leagues away she could see the faint lights of Virgin Soil, but it was far off downslope in the river valley.

clink,clink,clink……clink

Shannon didn't notice the stars, moons, or the lights of civilization. All she could see was a nearby tent, whose translucent walls were illuminated from an interior light. She made a b-line for this tent.

CLINK, clink….

Her fists were clenched, and her knuckles white. As she got within 5 meters she whispered loudly, "Colin, it's late. I've had a hard day. I'm wet, cold, exhausted and I can't sleep with you whacking on your stupid rocks all night!"

The clinking stopped.

"Oh," Colin muttered, "did I wake you up?" Colin's slightly portly shadow within the tent moved to the airlock, which cycled.

Shannon went inside and looked him in the face. He looked back with large brown eyes, not quite understanding what he had unleashed. "No, you didn't wake me up! I never went to sleep! Now, I ORDER you to NEVER work past midnight again!"

Colin wilted a little at the formerly evenhanded and likeable Shannon. "Ah, sorry. Sure. But these pegmatite deposits were so unique, I just…"

"PSHT!" Shannon almost yelled, and her hand thrust downward and toward Colin in a move that made him stop in mid sentence. "I don't want to hear it! Close down."

Colin backed away a little, and turned to put his prospecting hammer and sample on a collapsible crate. Strictly speaking he didn't need to break the rock samples manually since he had lots of probes that did a much better job. It was just that he liked doing it.

He looked back up, ready to apologize, but all he saw was Shannon's backside as she left.

I'll apologize tomorrow, he thought as he rushed forward to seal the airlock. He looked through the transparent duraplastic at Shannon, who was quickly disappearing into the night. Maybe she will be in a better mood.

He turned back to his bed, and quickly dismissed getting back to work, not after Shannon's little show. It didn't even occur to him that Shannon was going down the mountaintop and away from the camp.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Shannon knew herself well enough to understand that she had to let in all out, and there was nothing like a good, brisk walk in the crisp air to work off her temper. Shannon did not like being mad. Being on edge, yes, but not mad, or even in a bad mood.

As she walked the throbbing in her temples slowed, and then stopped. She took long deep breaths timed to her stride, and she focused on this natural rhythm. The air felt clean and pure even through her breather, and she feel the slight wind and the cold it brought against her face. She looked up slightly and at the horizon she could see the now familiar star patterns. Each star was like a twinkling diamond, and after looking for a second she saw Sol. But it was just another light in the sky. Planet was home.

All around her bulbous knobby forms rose, and the high points of each looked light to dark gray in the light of Nessus and Pholus. The recesses were a deep and impenetrable black. Shannon walked on through the edges of the fungal forest, and her pace slowed only slightly. She knew the way, as she had been studying this are of the fungus for over 3 months. In many ways she loved this area more than the lush Chiron-green plains that surrounded both Gaia's Landing and Virgin Soil. It was much more inviting, and more exciting. Everything about it roused her curiosity, and the more she saw and understood the more she realized she didn't understand. The fungus was complex, a fully symbiotic ecosystem. There was nothing on Earth like it and Shannon knew she could happily spend her life just living within it. At times she felt it seem to call to her, like a vague whisper in the back of her mind. At other times it was silent. But always there was a certain knowing, and Shannon sometimes amazed herself with her jumps of intuition about how these astonishing kind-of animals, kind-of plants lived and died with each other. They seemed to sustain each other, not merely by consuming and preying on each other, but more like each member was an organ within a body. Each has its place, and the elements could not function without each other. And, each patch of fungus, while huge, was like a person, since had a unique assemblage of plant-like organisms and animal-like organisms (although the differentiation of the two was sometimes difficult).

After 20 minutes Shannon reached her favorite place. The fungal grotto had trunk-like growths on three sides, and the thick branching arms partially reached over the 10-meter clearing. She had noticed these little grottos in almost all the fungal patches she had seen over the years, and they all were roughly the same. At her feet the fungal mat was springy, and even a little warm, probably from the lingering heat of the noonday sun. The entire center of the grotto was illuminated, since both moons were nearly overhead. At night the brilliant reds, greens, purples, and blues of the fungus were all gray. Even so, they were still beautiful, just in a different way.

Shannon realized she was now very cold, and she hugged her arms around herself and shivered slightly. The brisk walk had kept her warm, but that had worn off pretty fast as she looked had around.

She noticed something strange. Her feet and lower legs were not at all cold.

She bent down and touched the fungal mat. It was warm, almost hot, and the warmth extended a good one-third meter above the mat. Shannon sat down, and she immediately felt the heat seep into her. If felt so good, like a fluffy thermal blanket. She dipped down a little further, reclining on her back with her elbows resting on the mat, and the layer of warmth enveloped her. Shannon felt like she was in a picture; the black sky and the stars were the portrait and the fungal grotto was the frame. The last vestige of irritation at Colin melted away as she gazed outward in wonder. She just absorbed, drinking it all in. The mat was even soft. She laid all the way down.

So soft. And warm.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Extension. Examination - it is large. Mass. Not larger than we.

Taste. It is mostly water, carbon.

Sense. Hunger. All that is not sessile is food. It is not sessile.

Touch. It is not we.

Feel. Symbiosis. We feel it. It is net.

We are net. It is we. We are we.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Shannon opened her eyes. The sun had risen over the eastern mountain range, and once again the fungus was brilliantly colored in her little grotto. For some reason Shannon felt happy. She sat up, and her torso pierced the warm blanket of air in the grotto. The air was bracing, but felt good again since she was no longer chilled.

There was movement in the fungus and Shannon looked down. Throughout the fibrous mat there were little tendrils working their way up. A small part of her mind told her that this was strange, and possibly dangerous, since she had never seen this before. A feeling overrode these thoughts as she watched what looked like little wormlets erupt out of the fungal mat. In moments the entire mat was teeming with pinkish worms, which then started to bunch up against Shannon's sides. For her part, Shannon was amazed since the wormlets seemed to be floating in mid air! Hesitantly, she reached out to touch one, and as she did the fine hairs on her hand stood up. The wormlet dropped into her hand, crawled for a moment, and then floated gently into the air again.

A buzzing built up around her, and Shannon looked around. It seemed to be coming from everywhere at once, low and persistent. Then she recognized the sound: it was the same little sound she almost always felt when she was near the fungus, except now it was louder, and more focused. It was no longer a faint buzzing in the back of her mind, but immediate.

WE ARE WE

The thought came from somewhere. She didn't know from where, but at the same time she did. She looked at the little wormlet life forms that surrounded her.

WE ARE WE

This time she noticed that when the thought entered her mind that the wormlets pulsed in union. Shannon was delighted, and laughed to herself. Then she lowered her hands so the wormlets could cover them.

"We are we," she repeated, understanding even if she knew she shouldn't be able to. At this thought from her the mindworms bunched up into a boil and surrounded her. Shannon was now one of them.


WE ARE WE

[This message has been edited by Hydro (edited January 29, 2001).]

[Hydro]

Gaia's Landing, MY 2117

Lady Skye stood up and the rest of the Council stopped their squabbling.

"I've heard the arguments, both pro and con," she said, nodding to both Marilyn and Günter, the leader of the 'pro' and 'con' faction, respectively. "Beyond the details about economic priorities and the proper husbanding of scarce energy resources there lies what we stand for: to never to repeat the tragedies of Earth. Part of what destroyed Earth was the thoughtless pollution and exploitation of its resources, and I think we all agree that we will do whatever is in our power to prevent this from happening on our new home. The best way we can do this is to lead by example. Therefore, I will cast the tie-breaking vote and approve the energy to finish the recycling tanks this year, a year ahead of schedule. We will still have plenty in reserve, Günter, and we will benefit, as will Planet."

Deirdre leaned forward, placing her open palms on the stone tabletop. She looked all the other four members of the Council in the eye, one by one.

"Is there anything else that should be added?" she asked.

Marilyn was smiling, since she had won the day, and Günter was clearly unhappy, but not livid. Deirdre centered her gaze on him. Finally, after a few uncomfortable seconds, Günter shook his head no.

"Good," Deirdre said, smiling as she stood upright. "I'd like to announce that this was a unanimous decision. Günter?"

Günter was busy deciding whether he was mad or not. His scowl slowly unscrewed. "Oh, all right. But I expect a little quid pro quo. Financial irresponsibility also destroyed Earth, and we should not travel down that road, either. Ja?"

"Agreed," she said. Then she reached over and touched his arm with her fingertips. "Thank you, Günter. I appreciate it."

Almost imperceptibly Günter softened and the barest of a smile crossed his face. Deirdre withdrew her hand.

"Do we have any other issues?" Dee asked.

"Yes," Günter stated. "I suggest we not build this prototype speeder our war mongers keep pining for. Our next project here at Landing should be to expand and form another exploratory base. It is not prudent to waste so many resources on what Shannon's amazing mindworm friend can do for us, which is to explore. The speeder research is already several years old now, and I say let it stay in our archives until needed."

Before any others on the Council could say a word Dee jumped in. "I agree, Günter. Virgin Soil is doing so well, and there are many fine locations for a new exploration base. As long as our resources hold out it shouldn't take more than 3 or at most 4 years to manufacture the needed homes and supplies. Is that acceptable, Günter?"

Günter paused theatrically to think about it. Finally he said, "Ja."

Dee looked around to the other Council members, who had temporarily been cut out of the conversation while Dee worked on Günter. "Is Günter's motion acceptable? Marilyn? Chang? Thomas?"

The other Council members nodded.

"Then it is decided: our next major project will be a colony convoy. Anything else?"

"Ah, yes. Any work from Lain? His last transmission didn't make much sense," Marilyn asked.

"Well, not really," Dee said. "His message was pretty garbled, and all we got was something about all the rain rotting his socks, and a strange virulent green fungus destroying his boots. That's all we got besides some very colorful cursing. We're sending a glider with provisions to his party as we speak. It will include rations, boots, and some fungicide."

No one reacted since this was day-old news.

"Could we play his transmission again?" Marilyn asked in a sheepish voice.

Dee nodded, sat down and tapped a few keys on the rapidly aging UN comp board that had been installed in the granite table. Soon Lain's raspy voice started, and colorful metaphors about socks, rain, and the parentage of the fungus filled the room. It took only seconds before Marilyn started laughing, which quickly spread to Chang and Dee. As the wild speculation on fungal mating habits continued even Günter started to chortle, and years seemed to drop away from his wizened face.

[Hydro]

Gaia's Landing, MY2120

Deirdre looked closely and pointed.

"There. That is what I am talking about," she said. There was no triumph in her voice and her face was dead serious.

Her companion looked up, distracted from focusing the scanner. He stepped away from the control panel and walked toward Dee and the section of the projection she faced. He bent toward the portion of the image she indicated, cocked his head to the side and squinted. For several moments he examined the section, and then he stepped back and looked over at Dee, who expectantly returned his gaze.

"I'm sorry, Dee. I still don't see it. To me it is just a complex crystalline intergrowth, with a curvilinear exterior at this magnification and finger-like development patterns toward the interior," he commented.

Deirdre was unfazed at the exacting description. "Doesn't it strike you as odd that there are 34 crystalline substances in a regular lattice," she explained slowly and calmly, "and that there are at least 15 more compounds that we can't identify, and that they form a definite structure, and have an organization that we can't even fathom happening in nature? It seems to run counter to all we know on mineralogy and crystallography, and its formation would surely defy the second law of thermodynamics. If it can't form by known physical processes, then it must be the result of another process, and the only other process that we know of is life. Sean, this structure has all the function of an egg. It is protective, and lets in what is wanted. In fact, the crystalline structure seems to be keyed to certain patterns of temperature and electrochemical stimulation.

This," she said, pointing at the interior of the 'egg', "holds more potential energy than what a mid-altitude Gaian solar cell can produce in a month. What else do most eggs hold? They hold nourishment for the larvae of whatever laid it, and the energy stored in these structures is enormous.

And do you see these structures?" Deirdre pointed at an irregular globular formation to the left of the center of the roughly spherical shape. The pace of her speech picked up a bit as she continued and the words flowed freely. "See how they are chaotically jumbled? And this portion looks slightly imploded, and its crystal form obviously ruptured. Although we will never know, I'd bet that is the zygote after it has been destroyed by the implosion and disruption of the mindworm. What you see here, Sean, is the remains of an extraordinary egg, which is one of thousands carried by every mindworm boil."

Sean didn't respond, but looked from Deirdre's intent face to the projection of a single 'planetpearls'. In the last two years expeditionary patrols had faced, and destroyed, three hostile mindworm boils, and after the teams had recovered from the shock of combat they had discovered these beautiful, and incredibly valuable, bits of mineral and energy debris among the gore.

"Use Ockham's razor, Sean," Dee said. "We have found the pearls in the remains of all the mindworms that have been disrupted and killed, and no where else. When we examine them we see elements that suggest they are part of the reproductive effort, even if the exact mechanism is beyond us. Is it a coincidence? I don't think so."

"Well, maybe," Sean responded, still focusing on the magnified planetpearl. "We'll have to study it more."

"Good," Dee said. "You do that. When you find something new let me know. Just keep you mind open to the possibilities, OK?"

Sean nodded and walked over to his control panel to resume his examination.

Dee watched him return to work and, satisfied she had planted the right seed, turned to leave the room. At the edge of the room were several harvested and unharvested planetpearls. The harvested planetpearls looked like broken whitish beads, their stored energy sapped out and used to feed the growing needs of Gaia's Landing and Virgin Soil. In contrast, the unharvested planetpearls were almost luminescent and seemed to hum with energy.

Deirdre paused, watching the vibrant planetpearls.

What might you have become? What have we done in killing you? she thought for the thousandth time. Visions of tiger's teeth being used for virility amulets, rhinoceros horns for ceremonial daggers, and cetacean blubber rendered for oil lamps filled her head - beauty and diversity harvested thoughtlessly, and wantonly, for no good purpose, even though it seemed like a wise idea at the time.

Dark thoughts troubled Deirdre. She knew the mindworms were a sentient life form from the ecstatic reports Shannon had submitted over the years on her mindworm partner, even if the mindworm's sentience was nothing that any human could ever have imagined. As she looked at the dead mindworm eggs she saw a boon, and a curse.

Deirdre set her lips, turned and left the room and the darkness of the laboratory returned as she left. She hoped she was making the right decisions, and that history didn't record her as Deirdre the Genocide.

[Hydro]

Near Virgin Soil
MY 2125

"Get that power tram moving! We're behind schedule, and we could have established our new base a year ago but for that idiot Karlos. 'Take a short cut across the river bend' he said. We did, and now look at us. Some leader he is," Dale said.

Helen looked up, and in the distance she could barely see Dale. He was gesturing wildly, which was totally unnecessary considering the comm system was on. "Keep your pants on. Yelling won't make this thing move any faster. We're not one of those fancy speeders, you know, and this module has a mass of over 60 tons. Oh, you do know this is an open mike, don't you Dale?"

Dale replied with silence and Helen smiled. Dale had a habit of shooting his mouth off and it had gotten him in trouble more than once. Even a semi-egalitarian society has its rules, and etiquette is one of the most important. Unfortunately, Dale was as deficient in that category as he was brilliant as an engineer. Tact was not one of his strong suits. Nor was checking on his mike settings.

Helen noticed he had stopped waving at her and was turning around. He was at the top of the mountain range, and was within 100 klicks of the new base site.

"Hey Helen, do you see something to the south?"

"No, Dale. I'm busy driving right now, and you're on the rise, not me. What do you see?"

"I'm not quite sure. Is that Lindly? I thought she was patrolling with her mindworm thing and wouldn't be back for who knows how long. Maybe it's Kirsten's scouting party. Dee will be mad if it is, since she was supposed to have her group finish patrolling to the northeast. I'll squirt her a message."

Helen waited for a moment. Dale must have put his mike on private. Helen sighed. He'd gotten his settings mixed up again.

Finally Dale's voice came back.

"Ah, Helen. I've got great news! It wasn't Kirsten at all, but another scouting party from another landing pod from Unity! Can you believe it? They were babbling about a collective something, but said that they follow Chairman Yang! He must have a new title. I've squirted their comm frequency to Gaia's Landing and invited them up for some lunch. We know someone else survived Unity! Isn't that exciting! Dee will be SO THRILLED!"

At first Helen thought he was joking, but then she caught the squirt he had sent. Sure enough - it was from another group from Unity! Dale was relaying vids of the advancing scouting party. They were outfitted primarily in blue, and seemed to be marching up the slope in an orderly 'W' pattern. By now the comm system was overloaded with incoming messages and inquiries, and a demand for more information, which Dale was happily providing. Helen stopped her power tram, got her breather and put it on, and opened the door. It was bright outside, and a little cool at this high altitude. She climbed down the two stories across the outside of the hull and onto the ground and walked toward the men and women in blue. She caught fragments of conversation from them, and it all sounded very official. What was a 'Hive', anyway?

Still, all the feelings of drudgery of her shift on the power tram fell away and she felt abnormally happy. It was nice to feel that they weren't alone anymore.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dear Chairman Yang,

Greetings from Lady Deirdre Skye! For all these years I have hoped that others from Unity made it to Chiron, but there was never any sign until now! I am so glad that you and those in your Unity Pod survived. We have learned that Chiron, or Planet, as we now call it, can be a hostile place and we are doing all we can to survive, and even prosper. Knowing you are alive makes me feel that humanity has a fighting chance of reclaiming some of what was lost in the tragedy of Earth and the chaos of Unity. I am sure we have much to share. I look forward to your reply, and my comm frequency is always open to you.

Sincerely,
Lady Deirdre Skye

Dee looked over her first message to Chairman Yang. She knew that the former Executive Officer of Unity was a strong leader, and she was glad he was here on Planet. How would he receive it? It was hard to tell. She knew she was a different person now than 25 long years ago. Dee had to admit even to herself that she was harder, and more practical, now than she was before Landing. Fighting for survival does that: the unnecessary falls away, as do pretty illusions.

Finally, Dee was satisfied and she sent the message.

She hoped he would reply soon.

[Hydro]

Lily of the Valley

"And this is our fourth base, Ambassador. Its accommodations are bare, but we are just beginning. As we both expand we will learn more about Planet, our new home," Lady Skye said. Around her the infrastructure of Lily of the Valley was almost complete. The name was a bit ironic considering that "Valley" was at the top of the great east-west trending mountain range. And "Lily" was situated on the bone-dry east side of the mountain range. All that grew were hardy pine forests, which were already established and thriving. Still, the colonists had chosen the name, and Dee had to admit there was a certain humor in it.

The Hive Ambassador surveyed the new outpost with hooded eyes. Her impassive features rarely reacted to very much, and Deirdre kept a close watch on what her gaze lit upon. The only item that had sparked her interest was the mundane recycling tanks at Gaia's Landing. Dee couldn't understand why, however. If she had had her choice she would have formed another colony rather than the recycling tanks, but the minerals from the Colin Lode and forest had been coming in too fast for that - they had overloaded the system, and would have caused a problem with overproduction. The tanks were the only choice, considering.

Then Deirdre had an idea. She stopped and placed her hand lightly on the Hive's Ambassador's forearm. She slowly turned to face Dee.

"Ambassador," Dee started, "let's celebrate our new friendship by sharing what we know about Planet. One of the first discoveries we made was to unlock some of the basic biogenetic secrets about Planet, which allowed us to solve some severe health problems caused by the alien ecology. Your people would benefit from this knowledge, and I'd like to share it with you. Chairman Yang would then reciprocate in kind, and we would both be stronger for it. Together we can help humanity survive. Please inform Comma.., Chairman Yang of my offer."

The barest smile creased the Ambassador's face. She bowed slightly at the waist. "I will do as you ask. You honor us with your confidence."

Dee smiled brightly, which put the Hive Ambassador off a bit. Then, slowly, her small smile reappeared.

"Come, let's have some tea," said as she led the Ambassador to a pressure tent. It was cool at this altitude, and Dee had noticed that the Ambassador was shivering in her blue uniform when she had touched her arm.

"Tea? You have tea?" the Ambassador asked, a little astonished.

"Of course. You don't have tea? Well, I suppose not. There are advantages to being a biologist and geneticist. We had most of the seed stocks, you know. I'll send some for you to take to Chairman Yang as a personal gift." Dee leaned toward her a little. "I'll send some tea with you, too," she said in a conspiratorial whisper.

The airlock on the pressure tent cycled, and they stepped in. The inner lock exchanged the air quickly enough and they both walked into the warm tent. Both removed their shoes and placed them on a straw mat by the side of the airlock. On the floor were two cushions and a low table, which was set with a small handcrafted teapot and two low cups. Dee motioned for her to take one of the cushions, and then sat on the other. After she was seated Dee picked up two hand painted wooden boxes that were sitting on the left side of the table and lifted the lids.

"Would you prefer green or Darjeeling?" Deirdre asked.

The smell of the cured tealeaves seemed to fill the room, and the Ambassador was sure she had never smelled anything so heavenly in her whole life. She nodded toward the green.

Dee turned to the warmer, which held piping hot water. As she prepared the tea she asked, "So, tell me about The Hive…"

[Hydro]

Gaia's Landing
MY2127

Helmut's face started to turn red. "What do you mean the terraformer group vanished?!! 120 metric tons of vehicles and crew do not simply disappear and then reappear by magic. Do you mean that you lost them?" he asked, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Sahel was not intimidated. "No. They vanished. Simply vanished. The former group entered one of the magnetic anomalies adjacent to the colony to determine if it was a Unity pod, or maybe another mineral lode. Then they vanished."

"So, they're destroyed." Helmut's bluster was muted now. He understood material loss very well, and this was a great loss. Former groups were quite expensive.

"I did not say that. Shortly after they vanished we got a weak transmission that was well over 1,300 kilometers to the south, deep into Hive territory. It was our former crew. They were disoriented and a little ill, but doing all they could to report in."

Helmut sneered. "Impossible. That is simply ludicrous. Over a thousand clicks? You need to lay off the fungal gin, young man. How did they get there? Fly?" His eyes narrowed, "What are you covering up?"

Sahel smiled in return. "Would you like to talk to the crew? I think they will confirm everything I say. I suggest you do not state that something that has quite clearly happened to be impossible, and instead that we try to understand. Observers reported that the area they entered shimmered and that the entire location seemed to shift and stretch. It appears, Councilman, that they were teleported by some sort of matter transmission effect."

Helmut made a sour face, and started to speak. Before he could, Sahel put up a hand and continued. "We do not know much about Planet, but we do know that an advanced alien race once visited, or perhaps lived here. This effect may be related to their habitation. We can not pretend to know everything, Councilman, since we do not. It is a fact: the former and its crew disappeared and then reappeared over 1,000 kilometers distant. We do not know why, and at this point we are only starting to form hypotheses to explain this strange event. I have entered the transcript and supporting data into the databanks for your and the Council's review, and if you have any additional questions you are free to question me. However, I think you will find that the account is complete, and that I will not be able to answer your questions."

Helmut was still glowering, but he didn't challenge Sahel. "Anything else?"

"Yes," Sahel said, "good news. Lily of the Valley explored another anomaly adjacent to the new base. This one was a Unity pod, and it contained an operational rover, which will prove useful in our exploration efforts. Beneath the rover was another fine mineral lode that is similar to the one at Gaia's Landing. In fact, there are two lodes adjacent to Lily, and when it grows large enough the colony should produce more minerals than any other Gaian base. Our formers are moving to plant forests at both locations as we speak."

Helmut softened. He liked hearing about more minerals lodes, and the resources that forests presented. Renewable resources provided more production options, and reasonable development. He almost felt a smile growing, but suppressed it.

"Yes. That is good news. Anything else?"

"Some bad news, I'm afraid," Sahel continued. "Our exploration team in the Jungle has not reported in, and I fear they are lost. Our Hive friends have not seen them, but they did report that there were some feral mindworms running rampant in the area. Ferals are very dangerous, and to date we have either captured or killed all we encountered. Evidently they did not bond with them as Shannon did with hers. We should keep looking, but I hold no hope that they will be found."

Helmut grunted. "Yes, it had to happen eventually. Planet is a hard place, and we have been lucky so far, the former incident not withstanding. Anything else?"

"No, Councilman. Give my best to the Council, and to Lady Skye. I am ever at your service," Sahel said, bowing slightly.

Helmut nodded in return, and then closed the connection.